Retractable door stop security device/utility box

ABSTRACT

A retractable flush-mounted apparatus which is mounted in a floor or other flat mounting surface. The apparatus includes a housing with a flange plate which is mounted in an opening in the mounting surface. A retractable member is provided within the housing which alternates between a raise position and a lower position. By pressing downwardly on the top of the retractable member, a latching mechanism is released, allowing the spring biased retractable member to move to the raised position. The retractable member is lowered by applying a force sufficient to counteract the action of the spring and move the member into the housing, whereupon the latch mechanism re-engages the retractable member to retain it in the lower position. The apparatus can be adapted for use as a security door stop or as a pop-up utility outlet. When used as a security door stop, the risk of accidental lock-out is reduced through the use of a ratchet plate and camming surface.

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/639,107 filed on Apr.18, 1996 which is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 08/263,042filed Jun. 21, 1994, now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to retractable floor or wallmounted devices which move between a raised position and a loweredposition. More specifically, the present invention is directed tohideaway door stops and utility outlets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,970 which issued Jan. 17, 1989, the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, the presentinventor discloses a foot operated security device having a retractablesecurity stop member.

It is known that affordable security devices are in great demand byhomeowners, particularly in large metropolitan areas. Each yearliterally millions of burglaries occur in North America alone.Approximately one-fourth of all crime index offenses are burglaries. Twoout of three burglaries are residential.

In order to protect life and property, a number of anti-burglary deviceshave been developed by others in the past. These include alarms andsilent intrusion detection devices which are devised to alert buildingoccupants to an unauthorized entry into the premises. However, alarms dolittle to protect against forcible entry, although they may occasionallythwart a burglary by frightening an intruder.

A more practical method of preventing unwanted intrusion by a burglar isto provide intrusion-resistant premises. This is commonly achieved tovarying degrees of success by conventional locks such as dead boltassemblies in doors and windows. Other devices such as "charley bars"have provided some additional fortification of doors, although thereusefulness is limited and they are generally inconvenient to implement.

Of particular concern are those intruders that gain entry by firstknocking or ringing a door bell, only to force themselves into thepremises when the lawful occupant unlocks the door to determine who iscalling. To prevent such entry, door "peepholes" which may include wideangle lenses or the like have been provided to allow an occupant tovisually inspect and verify the identity of the caller. Unfortunately,doors which are strong enough to withstand attempted forceful entry areoften insulative to sound which makes it difficult to interrogate anunrecognized intruder to determine the nature of the call. To this end,security chains have been developed by which a limited clearance oropening of the door can be achieved while still maintaining someprotection against entry.

Security chains commonly include means for mounting one end of the chainto a molding which circumscribes the door frame and a second mountingmeans having a slot or channel which is secured directly to the door. Amember attached to the free end of the chain is adapted to be closelyand securely received by the door mounting means. Thus, when one wishesto speak to a suspect caller, one merely secures the free end of thechain to the door mount and unlocks the door. The door can then beopened a distance regulated by the length of the security chain.

As law enforcement personnel know all to well, the fallacy of securitychains is that they are inherently structurally weak. Very little forceis necessary to break the links of a typical security chain due to theirlow tensile strength. Moreover, even an intruder of moderate build canvery often ram a door with a sufficient force to pull the chain mountingmeans from their moorings, at times separating the door frame moldingfrom underlying structures. Therefore, security chains are many timesinadequate to prevent intrusion and may in fact give an occupant a falseand fatal sense of security where none exists.

A solution to the problems inherent in security chains, one which stillpermits a door to be opened slightly to interrogate a caller, is theprovision of a door stop member mounted directly to the floor of a roomwithin the arc of passage of the door as it swings upon its hinges. Inuse, a door stop member is mounted on a floor bracket which is adaptedto rigidly receive the stop member. One such device is disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 3,833,963 to Waters. There, a door stop comprising a channeledfloor plate and a stop member is disclosed. The plate is mounted in thefloor surface such that the floor surface and the top of the plate liein the same plane. In this mode the door is free to swing through itscomplete arc of passage. When the movement of the door is to be impeded,a separate component, the stop member, is inserted into the floor mountvia its channels where it is then locked into place. While the conceptis viable, the device is impractical due to its inconvenient method ofoperation.

Although appropriate as stop members, the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 4,601,502 to Van Dyke, U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,504 to Wolf and U.S. Pat.No. 4,462,623 to Grant all suffer from numerous drawbacks includingtheir limited ability to withstand the substantial lateral forces whichwould be exerted on their stop rods or pins. Not only would the stoprods most likely bend if not formed of strengthened materials, theirdelicate and complicated spring actuating mechanisms may beirreparably-damaged in response to any significant force. Moreover, itis clear that in order to be operated conveniently with one's foot, thecross-sectional area of the telescopic rods would have to be extremelylarge. For these and other reasons, these pin-like devices are wholelyimpractical as sturdy door security devices.

A more realistic approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,322 toSerrano. There, unlike the aforementioned devices, a pivotable stopmember is provided in a housing which is mounted in a floor cavity. Inone mode of operation, the device is retracted within the floor cavityand in the second mode of operation, the pivotable stop member is raisedabove the floor surface to engage and thus stop the arcuate movement ofthe door. It is stated in Serrano that the device can be operated withone's foot. However, from close inspection, it is apparent that althoughit is possible to raise the stop member by the complicated process ofturning a floor mounted serrated disc with one's foot, it is virtuallyimpossible to lower the stop member without reaching down to the floorwith one's hand to release a support strut. In fact, once the strut isreleased it is still necessary to once again turn the serrated discprecisely back to its initial position, requiring rotational movementagainst the opposing force of the biasing member. Further, the thin stopmember, its precarious attachment to the housing, and the fragilesupport strut all combine to create far too many weak links forsubstantial safety against intrusion.

Many of these problems are resolved by the present inventor'sdevelopment of the retractable door security device described in U.S.Pat. No. 4,797,970. Therein, there is provided a door security devicewhich includes a housing which is mounted beneath a flat surface such asa floor. The housing is supported by a floor plate or flange which ismounted by screws of the like to the floor surface. A foot-operated stopmember alternates between raised and lowered positions in response to aforce exerted downward on the stop member by one's foot.

The door security device includes a novel latch mechanism mounted withinthe housing which is responsive to movement of the stop member by virtueof a camming surface and a catch release rod. The stop member is springbiased in a raised position and is held in the lowered position againstthis biasing force by a spring actuated plunger in sliding relation witha barrel. When the stop member is in the raised position the plunger isheld within the barrel by a spring actuated catch mechanism.

The door security device is designed to be placed several inches from adoor in the arc of passage. In the lowered position, the door can passover the door security device without contacting the device. In theraised position, the passage of the door through its normal arc isimpeded by contact with a door-engaging surface of the raised stopmember. In order to improve the operation of the present inventor'spatented door security device, an anti-lock-out mechanism has beendevised. This improvement reduces the risk of accidental lock-out whichcould occur if the door passes over the raised stop member from theback. In other words, in some instances it is possible that the stopmember could be raised while a door is in the open position. If the dooris then closed without first lowering the stop member, the lower edge ofthe door moves along the upwardly inclined stop member surface creatinga camming action which forces the stop member into the housing. If thereis sufficient clearance between the lower edge of the door and the topof the security device housing, the door may complete its passagewithout fully depressing the stop member into the housing. As a result,the latching mechanism does not engage and once the door clears the stopmember, the stop member returns to the fully raised position causinglock-out. It will be appreciated, then, that the prior device had onlytwo positions, fully raised or fully lowered.

In addition, in order to prevent the unintentional release of the stopmember from the lower position to the raised position, it was disclosedin the aforementioned U.S. Patent that a separate closure plate with anoptional lock could be provided to cover the stop member. Although thisconstruction successfully prevents accidental release of the stopmember, it requires the manufacture of a separate plate which can easilybe misplaced by the user.

The present invention not only solves these limitations in the priorart, but also provides other useful improvements and adaptations of theretractable design.

These and other meritorious features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more fully described herein in connection with thedescription of the preferred embodiments and with reference to thedrawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention utilized as a doorsecurity device, the stop member being shown in both the lowered modeand the raised mode, the latter being shown in phantom.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the present invention,illustrating the engagement of the ratchet plate by the latch plunger.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the present invention,illustrating the latch-releasing movement of the retractable member inresponse to an applied force.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the present inventionwhich illustrates movement of the retractable member into the openposition.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the present inventionwhich illustrates the retractable member in the fully raised position.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the latch and ratchet plate components ofthe present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a sliding lock-down mechanism for use inthe present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the present invention as adapted for useas a hideaway electrical outlet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, the present invention will be describedin that embodiment in which the apparatus serves as a security device.With reference now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, door securitydevice 20 is shown generally having housing 22 (shown in phantom inFIG. 1) which extends below floor 24. Security device 20 is mountedrelatively flush with the top surface of floor 24 so that door 26 canswing freely through its arc of passage across door security device 20in one mode of operation. Accordingly, door security device 20 ismounted by inserting housing 22 through a corresponding opening in floor24. Housing 22 defines a chamber 28 in which latching mechanism 58 isdisposed.

Attached to and supporting housing 20 is floor plate 30 which is in thenature of a mounting flange or the like. Materials suitable for forminghousing 22 and floor plate 30 are generally inexpensive formable metalsuch as steel with good strength characteristics and wearability. Othermaterials having these characteristics may be suitable or even desirablein a particular application.

Floor plate 30 and housing 22 are provided with an opening 32 whichclosely receives pivotal stop member 34 in both its retracted positionand its raised position, the latter being shown in phantom. Pivotable orretractable stop member 34 includes principal surface 36, again beingshown in both the raised and retracted positions in FIG. 1. Pivotablestop member 34 is provided with door-engaging surface 38. Door-engagingsurface 38 engages door 26 in one mode of operation. In order to preventdoor-engaging surface 38 from marring the door surface, rubber pad 40 ispreferably provided which may be formed of any non-marking resilientmaterial. Rubber pad 40 may be attached to stop member 34 in a number ofacceptable manners such as through the use of screws or adhesives.Rubber pad 40 is provided with external camming surface 41 showngenerally which has three angular faces 43, 45 and 47, the function ofwhich will be more fully explained hereinafter. Stop member 34 includesledge 35 which serves to reduce the accumulation of dirt in chamber 28.Mounting screws (not shown) are preferably provided which extend throughfloor plate 30 to attach door security device 20 to floor 24. The flooropening may be countersunk such that floor plate 30 is attached to acounter-sunk portion of floor 24 and an optional decorative cover platemay be provided on top of floor plate 30. It will generally be desiredto have the top surface of security device 20 flush with the top surfaceof floor 24 when stop member 34 is in the retracted position. Stopmember 34 is spring biased, preferably by a pair of springs one of whichis shown as spring 50 in the drawings. Spring 50 has spring loop 52which loops around stop member pivot axle or shaft 54. The springs maybe retained by spring retaining screws (not shown).

Pivot axle 54 is preferably stationary with respect to housing 22 andextends through stop member 34 transversely. It is pivot axis 54 whichallows stop member 34 to pivot between the raised and lowered positions.Spring 50 serves to bias stop member 34 in the raised position. Hence,as will be more fully explained, stop member 34 is restrained againstthe biasing force produced by spring 50 when stop member 34 is in theretracted position.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 3 and 6 of the drawings, latchmechanism 58 is shown having latch barrel 60 with slotted wall 62. Inother words, wall 62 of latch barrel 60 is provided with slot 64 alongwith a corresponding slot on the opposite side of barrel 60 in anopposed fashion. Closely received within latch barrel 60 is latchplunger 66 in a piston/cylinder-like configuration. Although the outersurface of plunger 66 is in substantial contact with the inner surfaceof latch barrel 60, they are in sliding contact so that latch rod 66 caneasily move partially in and out of latch barrel 60. Latch rod orplunger 66 is provided with opposed latch rod pins 68 which are shownhere as one structure extending through plunger 66 at hole 67. It may besuitable to simply form each pin 68 on the outer surface of plunger 66.Opposed latch rod pins 68 serve as the means by which plunger 66 isretained in one position in barrel 60 during one mode of operation.Barrel 60 is secured to wall 70 of housing 22 with the use of barrelretaining screw 72. That end of barrel 60 which abuts wall 70 isthreaded to receive screw 72. Stop member 34 further includes catchrelease rod or bar 74 which provides added strength to stop member 22and which serves as a catch release which will be more fully explained.In order to support the end of barrel 60, opposite the end mounted towall 70, there is provided support post 76 spanning the side walls ofhousing 22. In this respect, and referring now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, oneach side wall of stop member 34 an arcuate slot 84 is provided which ispositioned relative to support post 76 such that as stop member 34 movesbetween the raised and retracted positions, the arcuate slots provideclearance for support posts 76.

As shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, stop member 34 preferably includesarcuate ratchet plate 88 having a series of teeth 89 and a camming face90. Camming face 90 and teeth 89 are beveled at an angle correspondingto beveled camming rod end 96 so that the two form mating cammingsurfaces. As will be seen, the movement of stop member 34 from theprojective or raised position to the lowered or retracted positioncauses rod end 96 to move along teeth 89 such that plunger 66 is forcedto move deeper within barrel 60. As plunger 66 slides across cammingface 90 it becomes locked within barrel 60 in the manner more fullydescribed hereinafter. This movement is against the biasing force ofhelical spring 97 which is compressed within barrel 60 between screw 72and spring engaging end 98 of plunger 66. The strength or biasing forceof helical spring 97 as well as spring 52 is dictated by the desiredease of operation. They should, however, be strong enough to providegood action by the parts which they bias consistent with the objectiveof the present invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4, pivotable latch rod catch 102 isprovided which pivots with respect to barrel 60 on pivot pin or axle 104that extends through hole 61. Pivot pin 104 is preferably rigidlyattached to leg 106 and leg 108 of catch 102 with pin or axle 104 insubstantially free rotation with respect to barrel 60 and plunger 66 aswill be more fully described. Each leg, 106, 108 is provided with pinengagement surfaces 110 and pin retaining notches 112. Cross member 114is provided to provide added strength to catch 102 and for providing aspace to create spring attachment hole 116 shown in FIG. 6.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3 through 5, catch 102 pivots between a firstposition in which pin engagement surfaces 110 ride on latch rod pins 68and a second position in which latch rod pins 68 are retained within pinretaining notches 112. The movement of pin 68 as plunger 66 is forceddeeper into barrel 60 causes pin engagement surfaces 110 to ride uponpin 68 as shown best in FIG. 2.

Spring 120 is provided, extending from hole 116 to hole 126. Spring 120serves to bias catch 102 until catch 102 engages pins 68 in retainingnotches 112 as plunger 66 moves deeper into barrel 60.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the beveled nature of end 128 of barrel 60 isseen which provides good clearance with ratchet 88 during operation asshown in FIG. 3. As seen in FIG. 6, not only are slots 64 provided inbarrel 60 which provide clearance for pins 68 during the movement ofplunger 66, plunger 66 is provided with a slot or channel 130 forclearance with catch pivot pin 104. In other words, channel 130 allowsplunger 66 to move freely without being impeded by catch pivot pin 104.Again, it is preferred that all of the components be made of metal oranother hard, durable material, possibly some plastics, to providestrength and durability.

In operation, and referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, as door 26 isopened with stop member 34 in the retracted position, door 26 freelymoves through its arc of passage and across door security device 20 inan unrestricted fashion. In this retracted mode, and as best seen inFIG. 2 of the drawings, stop member 34 is held within housing 22 againstthe bias of spring 50 by the engagement of end 96 of plunger 66 on thefirst tooth 94 of ratchet 88. Plunger 66 is biased by virtue of theforce of helical spring 97. Plunger 66 is allowed this freedom becausecatch 102 in this mode of operation does not retain plunger 66 withinbarrel 60; rather, pin engagement surfaces 110 of catch 102 ride on pins68 as shown.

In order to release stop member 34 to the raised position shown in FIGS.1 (in phantom) and 5, a vertical or downward force is applied toprincipal surface 36 of stop member 34 to move stop member 34 downwithin housing 22 as shown in FIG. 3. As this downward movement occurs,the camming action of camming surface 90 on plunger end 96 forcesplunger 66 to move rearwardly, deeper into barrel 60. Pins 68 on whichpin engagement surfaces 110 were riding in FIG. 2, now move backwardwhere they are captured in retaining notches 112 due to theconfiguration of notches 112 and the biasing force of spring 120 oncatch 102. That is, once pins 68 reach a certain position on pinengagement surfaces 110, the biasing force of spring 120 on catch 102causes catch 102 to pivot forward by virtue of pivot pin 104 to theposition shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Plunger 66 is thus retained in barrel60 with sufficient clearance between end 96 and ratchet plate 88 suchthat spring 50 is now free to spring stop member 22 into the raised orprojective position shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. In this position, as door 26begins to move through its arc of passage, it encounters door engagingsurface 38 of stop member 34, whereby the movement of door 26 issuccessfully impeded. Due the strength of door security device 20, it isvirtually impossible to open door 26 without completely destroying thedoor.

As stop member 34 rises into the raised or projective position out ofhousing 22 as shown in FIG. 5, stop member 34 pivots on pivot axle 54.This pivoting motion of stop member 34 causes catch release bar 74 tomove toward catch 102 as best shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4 catch releasebar 74 is shown in an intermediate position during the pivoting of stopmember 34 in contact with legs 106 and 108. It is important that thebiasing force of spring 50 be sufficient to counteract the biasing forceof spring 120 such that stop member 34 can raise completely whilesimultaneously rotating catch 102 on pivot pin 104. In other words, asstop member 34 moves into the raised position, catch release rod 74strikes catch 102 below pivot pin 104, causing catch 102 to release pins68 from pin retaining notches 112. As pin retaining notches 112 releasepins 68, plunger 66 is ejected in response to the biasing force ofspring 97 into its extended position. It will now be understood that asstop member 34 rises, latch mechanism 58 is reset and is then preparedto retain stop member 34 when it is lowered by one's foot to its flushposition.

Referring now to the anti-lock-out feature of the present invention withreference to FIG. 5 of the drawings, in the event that door 26 moves inthe direction of arrow A when stop member 34 is in the fully raisedposition as shown, door 6 produces a camming action along inclinedsurface 36 of stop member 34 tending to move stop member 34 down intohousing 22 in the direction of Arrow B. As stated, in the prior artdevice, if stop member 34 did not move a distance sufficient to lockinto the fully retracted position, stop member 34 would pop up after thedoor was closed causing accidental lock-out. Accordingly, ratchet plate88 prevents accidental lock-out in the following manner. As door 26moves along surface 36 forcing stop member 34 to move in the directionof Arrow B, plunger 96 advances along teeth 89 of ratchet plate 88sequentially. Thus, for example if door 26 clears stop member 34 andonly partially forces stop member 34 into housing 22, stop member 34 isnot spring biased back into the fully raised position because end 96 ofplunger 66 retains stop member 34 in the partially lowered position viathe engagement of end 96 with one of teeth 89 of ratchet plate 88. Notuntil and only after stop member 34 is sufficiently depressed in housing22 such that end 96 cams along camming surface 90 of ratchet plate 88does catch 102 lock plunger 66 in barrel 60, allowing stop member 34 tospring into the fully raised position.

In addition, in some instances the engagement of end 96 of plunger 66with teeth 89 may allow stop member 34 to move slightly into a higherposition after door 26 has crossed surface 36 in the direction of ArrowA. By providing external camming surface 41 on pad 40, as the door 26 isreopened the lower edge of door 26 moves along camming surface 41 tolower stop member 34, thereby compensating for any slight pop upmovement despite the inventive ratchet engagement technique.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 7 of the invention, inadvertent release ofstop member 34 into the raised position may be prevented through lockmechanism 100 which in this embodiment comprises a turn screw 102 havingposts 104 and 106 that are connected to sliding arms 108 and 110 at postreceiving holes 112 and 114. As turn screw 102 is rotated, arms 108 and110 slide in and out of slots 116 and 117 (only one each shown forsimplicity) in the side walls of stop member 34 and housing 22respectively such that the movement of stop member 34 into the raisedposition is prevented. Corresponding slots (not shown) are provided onthe opposite side walls. Lock mechanism 100 may include a key lock.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, hideaway utilitybox 118 is provided as shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings. The constructionand operation of hideaway utility box 118 is preferably the same assecurity device 20; however, retractable member 120 is provided withmounting face 122 in which a receptacle is mounted, shown here as a pairof electrical outlets 124. In order to prevent retractable member 128from being inadvertently closed during use which could damage theoutlets and items plugged into the outlets, a pair of spring biasedplungers 126 (one shown for convenience) are provided which aredepressed when retractable member 120 is moved into the loweredpositions and which automatically extend once retractable member 128reaches the raised position. This safety feature can be configured in anumber of manners.

Although not intended to be an exhaustive list of potential utilityconnections or devices to be mounted in face 122, it is contemplatedthat the present invention will be useful for providing electricaloutlets, telephone outlets, including fax and computer modem outlets,and water and gas outlets and combination thereof. In addition, sensorssuch as pressure or force sensors, optical sensors (for example twoopposed units with corresponding photo sensors may be placed in front ofart objects or the like), acoustic sensors and light source may besuitable in a particular application. For example a pressure sensor inassociation with pad 40 may be linked (either hand-wired or remotely) toa security alarm or station to detect movement of door 26. A lightsource, such as a blinking red light, may be used to guide personsthrough smoke or in the dark in an emergency. In a marina, restrictedaccess to electricity may be easily provided with the present inventionwith a lock feature. Of course it is to be understood that combinationsof these outlets and sensors may also be desired in a given application.

As a security device, device 20 should be placed within inches of a doorsuch that the door can be opened only fractionally when security device20 is in the raised position, thus preventing an intruder from reachingthrough the door opening to lower the device. It will be appreciatedthat stop member 34 cannot be lowered while engaging the door, sincestop member 34 moves forward slightly during its pivoting patch into thelowered position. Also, a spacer such as a hollow wedge over stop member34 or a spacer attached to the door (not shown) can be provided betweenthe door and door engaging surface 38 of stop member 34 such that doorsecurity device 20 can be used to secure a door 26 in its normal closedposition. Alternatively, security device 20 can be used simply to hold adoor open as desired. Many other applications will be known to thoseskilled in the art, one of which may include use in sliding doors withtrack mechanisms, for example, patio doors. In this use, correspondinggrooves can be provided in the top of device 20. Device 20 may be usedin any application where a security lock or safety stop is required suchas with traveling machinery. It may also be possible to automate doordevice 20 such that it can be operated remotely. For example, a solenoidor other electronic device could be included in latch mechanism 58 sothat stop member 34 can be activated from a remote position such asoutside door 26 by a combination lock, a key or through computercontrol.

While a particular embodiment of this invention is shown and describedherein, it will be understood of course, that the invention is not to belimited thereto since many modifications may be made, particularly bythose skilled in the art, in light of this disclosure. It iscontemplated therefore by the appended claims to cover any suchmodification as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A retractable utility box, comprising:aretractable member having a camming surface and a hideaway surface inwhich at least one utility receptacle is mounted; a housing having anopening to closely receive said retractable member; a latching mechanismhaving a barrel a spring and a spring-biased plunger within said barrel;said latching mechanism further including a catch for retaining saidplunger in a retracted position within said barrel; said barrel havingan end for engaging said camming surface of said retractable member;means for biasing said retractable member in a first position in whichat least a portion of said retractable member projects out of saidhousing through said opening; means responsive to pressure exerted onsaid retractable member for pivoting said retractable member betweensaid first position and a second position, said retractable member beingsubstantially within said housing in said second position; a pair ofspring-biased plungers and at least one spring for biasing saidspring-biased plungers, said spring biased plungers being mounted inopposite sides of said retractable member, said spring-biased plungersbeing positioned inside said retractable member in said second positionof said retractable member and said spring-biased plungers automaticallyextending out of said retractable member in said first position of saidretractable member; and a lock mechanism in said retractable member forlocking said retractable member in said second position.
 2. Theretractable utility box recited in claim 1, further including a floorplate attached to said housing to be mounted on a floor surface.
 3. Theretractable utility box of claim 1, wherein said end of said plunger isbeveled.
 4. A retractable utility box recited in claim 1, wherein oneend of said barrel is attached to said housing the other end of saidbarrel is beveled.
 5. The retractable utility box recited in claim 1,wherein said means for biasing said retractable member in said firstposition includes a spring.
 6. The retractable utility box recited inclaim 1, wherein said catch is a pivotable catch which is spring-biasedwith a spring.
 7. The retractable utility box recited in claim 1,wherein said housing is constructed of a material selected from thegroup consisting of metal and hard plastic.
 8. The retractable utilitybox recited in claim 1, wherein said retractable member includes aprojection defining a ledge.